Chapter 7:

Conflicts

Eragon woke with a start as someone touched his arm. He looked up through blurry eyes and saw an oblique figure standing over him. He rubbed his eyes and discovered it was Arya. "Wake up", she whispered, "You fell asleep. We must weaken the defenses and attack." He sat up, grabbed Brisingr and hooked it to the belt of Beloth the Wise. He trudged out of his tent with bleary eyes and mumbled a signal to Saphira to indicate he was going. It was almost night and the Sun was halfway below the horizon.

Arya motioned for him to follow and she accelerated into a sprint. He followed and soon became alert. The cold wind that nipped at his face kept him awake. They ran in silence and the camp soon disappeared into an indefinable formation behind them. It took almost an hour to reach the city walls, which looked to be thirty-five feet thick and a hundred feet high. Arya put a finger to her mouth and crouched down. She pointed at two sentries who stood in a watchtower not twenty feet from where they were. Eragon whispered, "Slytha.", and the two watchmen collapsed, unconscious. Arya nodded with a swift bob of her head and they continued.

Eragon didn't know how hard it would be to collapse a small section of the wall with Arya there. He knew elves were extremely skilled in the magical arts and even he was well-trained when it came to magic. She slowed to a stop soon after and sat before the wall. Chanting a string of words, she sat down. She closed her eyes and put one hand on the wall. Eragon did the same and Arya took his hand in hers. He soon learned what she was saying and began mumbling the incantation. The words rolled off his tongue and their words quickly became intertwined in a magical incantation.

He soon heard a sharp report as the wall cracked. They pried the hole open and made a small opening. He tried digging a hole with magic but she stopped him. She shook her head and started ripping bricks off the wall with her hands. The wall soon gave and they had to tunnel through. Once they were done they moved on. They were done quickly and he didn't feel as fatigued as he expected. They turned back towards the camp and darted away from Belatona.

As they came nearer to the cluster of tents and blankets they saw some dark figures coming towards the camp. He saw them get clearer as they approached but couldn't discern what or who it could possibly be. He squinted and soon saw horses and a few men. They trudged on, not paying any attention to their surroundings. Roran was among them. He looked out of sorts and detached and he seemed weary. They reached the encampment in a short amount of time and woke everyone. They quickly had the Varden awake and they moved towards Belatona with muffled footsteps and quiet voices.

Everyone was taking their rightful positions and stationed themselves around the walls of Belatona. Roran stood by Eragon and they're group of soldiers shuffled and murmured behind them. They had reached Belatona and everyone was dispersing. They got to their place in a half hour with all their warriors at hand. Anxiety and adrenaline rushed through him like light brightening a dark room. Once everyone was ready all the magicians that had been placed throughout the forces relayed messages. He felt someone try to enter his mind and began throwing up his barriers but found that it was only Blodhgarm. Nasuada is ready, attack now. Eragon motioned to the warriors behind him and they followed along. He ran in and looked around. There was no one there. He smiled and thought to himself, this should be easy. He walked around the enormous city and started taking captives. All of them were men who were able to fight with them.

They soon had enough men to double their forces. They had absolutely no struggle from them and there were no protests. Then, suddenly, men started streaming out of barracks all around the city. They hefted spears, swords, pikes, axes, hammers, bows, halberds, falchions, younger men held daggers or knives, two-hand swords, and crossbows. They were equipped with shields and were wearing iron plates, a helm, and greaves. There were at least ten-thousand.

How did they get so many? We have captured enough to keep our forces in strong numbers! We have the same amount, maybe a few hundred more, but still, that's so many to be free of our hold.

It is absurd, I know. We can defeat them, though. Remember? You have me. She alighted upon the ground and let out a fearsome roar. The soldiers quailed from her fierceness but soon straightened. A horn sounded and the men lifted their weapons over their heads. They charged, screaming and yelling while shaking their blades and other artillery over their heads and bodies. Eragon and the Varden soon met the army and clashed. There were battle cries and roars as they hit. Blood-drenched swords shone in the moonlight, whistling through the night and slashing through bodies.

Eragon ran forward, twisting his blade so as to kill three warriors with one swipe. Saphira roasted a group of opponents nearby. She reared and slashed at a man, renting him in two. He swiveled around and stabbed a man and then pulled Brisingr out of the man just in time to parry a blow from behind. He leaped over to Saphira, just in time to kill a man who was trying to prick her wing with a spear. He heard whistling, and turned around. A sword was flying at him, but he couldn't raise his sword in time to block it. A second before it decapitated him; a hammer blocked the blow and then cracked the man's skull. He looked over and saw Roran, who smiled.

"Defend your self better okay?" he said. There was a flash of light and Eragon thrust Brisingr behind Roran. He blocked a blow from an unseen person, and then twisted his wrist, so as to stab the man.

"You should follow your own advice, eh?" Roran smirked and they ran

off in opposite directions, slashing and yelling. The number of people that were

opposing them soon dissipated, and they stood in a pool of blood. By the end of the battle, they had lost only about a thousand. The warriors who hadn't wanted to fight anymore had surrendered, and were now part of the army. They gained another two-hundred soldiers by those means.

Eragon scoured the battlefield, looking for familiar faces. Then a loud booming voice resonated throughout the city. It was familiar, it was Murtagh. "Hello, brother. We have some unfinished business we need to attend to. Come and fight or I'll kill Arya. Come soon, or your beloved dies." Eragon cursed and pounded his fist against a wall, instantly collapsing the structure. Dammit all! How did he get her?! If he's going to tamper with me he had better be ready, because if it's a fight he wants, it's a fight he'll get. SAPHIRA!

I heard. Let us go and tear them apart. She descended and he ran towards her growing body. The second she landed he leaped onto her and yelled, "Okay, now let's go get that bastard." She bounded into the air and flapped her wings with a destructive force. She ascended quickly and Thorn was soon visible among the clouds.

She soon mimicked Murtagh and Thorn's altitude and hovered there. "There you are. I was wondering if you were coming or not. Now, you will come with me to Uru'Baen whether you like or not or, if you like, I could kill her." He thought for a moment. There's no way I'm going with him. The only way to stop him is…his true name. There has to be an easy way to change it…but how? He thought for a moment and then a marvelous idea occurred to him.

"I know how to free you of Galbatorix." The smug expression he had been wearing moments before faded behind a look of sadness and happiness both at the same time.

"How?" He asked shortly

"The next time Galbatorix tells you to come and get me, I will have the spell casters ready. If we put all our energy into it, we may be able to make you into an elf-human, like me. You will be free of your scar and you will be free of Galbatorix."

"I'm bound by the ancient language! I can't! And besides, it would take so much power!"

"Saphira and Thorn could provide the strength behind the enchantment. You only swore that you would do what he told you, correct?"

"Yes."

"Trust me. There is only one way to overthrow Galbatorix and you and I are the most powerful pieces in doing it!"

"I trust you so I will do what you say. Take Arya. I will get many-a-whipping for this but afterwards I shall destroy the Empire he has worked so long to create."

"Thank you." Murtagh threw Arya towards him. He caught her and lifted her onto the saddle behind him. She was unconscious and breathing slowly. Thorn turned around and flew away, disappearing into the night. Eragon sighed. We have won again and may win another ally.

I hope so. We should go back. She turned and flew back down, the Sun just rising over the bleak horizon.